CHAPTER 3: THE RUINED CITY.
Nothing seemed to have changed when I woke. Gale driven rain buffeted our ATV as it trundled through low, eroded hills covered with ubiquitous bryophytes. In the far distance – not that far, given the poor visibility – was another abandoned town. I have never seen such an uninspiring view.
Fortunately, I didn't have to mix much with the executives. Now we were nearly at Bas-Hinna, they were more nervous and apprehensive. I guess that safely in their office suites on the thousandth plus floor of a skyscraper on some highly urbanised world, a week hunting Krillaz didn't seem bad. Even makes a nice change from corporate meetings. Now they were almost on top of the beasties, it didn't seem such a great idea. But they still had to shine in front of Çrámerr to secure that promotion.
Bas-Hinna loomed into view. Farrie-Galv Kham resumed his place behind the wheel and guided the Steg-0-Saw along what had once been the main highway leading in. The executives looked through the view-screens and laughed and joked among themselves. Putting a brave face on things, I guess. Don't forget, they were all looking to impress Luis Çrámerr. I took my usual seat up in the turret and studied the terrain. Was this the last place Âgustin had seen? I hoped not.
The road – still just as potholed – led past low buildings, mostly built of native stone and Konkreet. They had once been whitewashed to relieve the drabness but that had long since washed away except in the most sheltered spots. All windows had long since gone and more bryophytes grew out of the gaps. Like all places abandoned by hi-manity, it was a sad, eerie place; a relic of abandoned hopes and dreams.
Of course, we were all keeping an eye open for Krillaz but didn't see any. They're not stupid and no way were they going to suicide charge a heavily armoured vehicle.
Kham drove over a bridge spanning a canal, made a right turn, down another wide avenue until he pulled up in what would have been Bas-Hinna's main plaza. It was surrounded by taller buildings – each four storeys high. One still had its sign – 'Concert Hall'. For some reason, that upset me. I thought of all those locals enjoying performances – until the Krillaz came and devoured those who didn't flee.
"These are the coordinates where Âgustin's last GPS signal came from, dost?" asked Kham.
I swung down from the turret and checked the display. "Yes, here," I confirmed.
"Okay, let's get suited and booted and hunt us some Krillaz," said Çrámerr, a little too loudly. Maybe his nerves were getting to him as well. There was no reason to delay – there's no night time this side of Hancox 1. Everyone pulled on body armour and helmets – not military-grade battle-dress, of course, more ex-riot police stuff. Enough to cope with a Krilla's teeth and claws. Over our armour, we wore battle-vests holding spare ammunition, a first aid pouch, rations, compressed water and a durasteel combat knife.
There was a lot of jostling and laughing as they dressed. I felt a bit sorry for Clemency as the only woman in the group but she didn't seem to mind. Not that she should. Clemency L'Alleyn had a hard, toned body with a golden holo-tattoo of a Sun-Dragon on her back. It writhed sinuously, looking almost alive. Didn't expect her to be adorned like that. People always surprise you, don't they?
When everyone was ready, Kham opened the rear tailgate and we trooped outside. Despite butterflies in our stomachs, it felt good to leave the confines of the vehicle. As the guide, safety on this trip was his responsibility so Kham inspected their weapons and armour but he didn't need to check mine.
"Just a few things before we set off." I'd expected this talk. "Most important, never, never, never leave the group and head off on your own. We're looking for Vargo's client, Âgustin – or his remains – but even if you find him or anything else, don't go off by yourself. Remember, Krillaz love to pick off people by themselves."
"In case of emergency, have you logged these coordinates into your personal GPS?" They all nodded, even the normally brash Luis Çrámerr.
"Then let's go hunting – and good luck," he finished.
We formed into a loose diamond formation, Kham on point and me, as having previous combat experience, taking the rear. We crossed the plaza and made our way to a dome which used to hold the city's Botanic Gardens.
"Hey, Farrie, I thought these Krilla's wanted meat. Where are they all?" Çrámerr called.
Not to be outdone, Geroge NcDona jumped in. "Yeah. Sure hope this trip isn't a waste of time. Should have gone up the north coast." I heard his Augmented Flux-Blaster whine. He loosed off a shot at an overhanging sign down a side street. It exploded, white-hot metal raining down, hissing and smouldering on wet Konkreet. He fired again into the upper floor of a building. Half the level collapsed, rubble bouncing noisily off the sidewalk.
"Stop messing about. Any more of that and I'll cancel this trip. No refunds," Kham barked.
"Sor-ry," NcDona said, sounding anything but. From his face, he'd enjoyed the immense power of firing his Augmented Flux-Blaster. I caught sight of Clemency's face. She looked as unimpressed as me. Amateur, we both thought to each other over our links.
"Seriously, dude, where are they?" NcDona said after a while.
Kham turned back to face him. "They're here all right. I guarantee some are watching us even as we speak. Now, keep your mouths shut and your eyes wide open."
Hari Thalami looked worried but both Çrámerr and his sidekick NcDona puffed out their chests. "Bring 'em on," NcDona said.
"Here, Krilla, Krilla, Krilla, come and get it while it's hot," Çrámerr bragged. He had a good weapon for the job – a Pym & Sons 10mm Personal Anti-Personnel Weapon which fired devastating gas-powered slugs. They're custom made and cost a small fortune.
I shook my head. These wouldn't be my first choice of companions but still better than going in alone. All the same, I had eyes in the back of my head as we walked towards the geodesic dome. Closer, it showed its damage. Neglect in this atrocious climate had ruined it and many panels were missing.
I jumped. A chunk of masonry fell into the road, missing me by no more than a metre. Perhaps it had been weakened by NcDona blasting away at nothing. But it was strange that it came so close to hitting me. Coincidence? I shrugged. Nothing I could do about it now.
"Watch your step, dost," Kham called back.
We crossed a junction. To our left was a garage and in the gloom, I noticed several ground vehicles, corroding away to their shells. That brought home to me just how deserted this city was. It's strange walking through a place where all hi-manity has vanished. Here we had been replaced by something else.
We crossed Mag-Lev tram tracks – now pitted and rusted – and reached the Botanic Gardens. "Âgustin's last signal came from here?" Kham confirmed.
I nodded. Kham set off down a short tunnel into the dome. Any exotic plants outside the dome had long since died, replaced by this planet's bryophytes. There were remains of notices and paintings lining the tunnel. When Bas-Hinna was a living, vibrant city, this must have been a beautiful spot for the locals to come and relax. As we moved through the musty and rank smelling passageway, I noticed greasy marks on both sides. This area must be a Krilla's den. Instinctively, my finger tightened on my weapon's selector button.
The passage opened up into what must have been the reception and shop. We paused and someone – Clemency maybe – gasped with horror. Bones littered this area. All were old, picked clean. Most were hi-man and I lowered my foot carefully, stepping over a child's small skull. It wasn't the only child's skull and I tried not to think about the screaming horror when the Krillaz broke in.
Not all the bones were hi-man, though. Over by a dry, ruined fountain I saw several long-snouted, misshapen Krilla skulls, their flatter craniums evident. A whip-like tail coiled around a rib cage.
"It must have been a massacre," Hari Thalami whispered, aghast.
Kham broke in. "It was, dost. And this is only the tiniest fraction of what happened. I hate them, really hate them."
The only one who seemed unconcerned was Luis Çr?
?merr. He looked around and scuffed through the old bones. He stooped and picked up a brooch. He made to put it in his battle-vest's pocket as a souvenir.
"Put that back," Kham snapped.
Guiltily, Çrámerr dropped it back. "Only looking..."
Trying to defuse what could have been an unpleasant incident, Hari spoke up. "Shall we see if we can find any trace of Âgustin and his party?"
That decided everyone and we left the foyer and into the main part of the gardens, under the broken dome. That was equally sad. Again, all the plants were dead – all that remained were their trunks, corpse-branches clawing at the shattered ceiling. The floor was littered with more bones of people making their last stand here. Now all were scattered in heaps and bone-white drifts. I was glad to see plenty more Krilla bones.
I wheeled around, nearly firing my gun. Did I forget to mention my weapon? In my hands I gripped an M-88 Mettallist Hi-Ripper. I'd bought the matt-black version, about sixty centimetres in length with an extended magazine. It's a stubby, brutal weapon that does what it says – it'll rip through Krillaz like a laser through soft cheese. Like I say, there's no weapons restrictions here.
I scanned the area behind. I'd heard something – like bone rattling on bone. Couldn't see anything, couldn't hear any movement neither. I figured our passing must have disturbed one of the piles of bones.
"Getting jumpy, Hotshot?" Çrámerr asked with a grin.
I decided to be honest, after all I wasn't one of his brown-nosing underlings. "It is rather creepy here."
He was surprised by my response. He must have thought I'd play the gung-ho hard man but I was beyond that. Clemency stepped over to me, picking her way over a rib cage.
"Was it a Krilla?" she asked.
"Probably not," I said. "They're not stupid – they're not likely to attack a well-armed group like us." Little did I know.
"Unless they're really hungry," Çrámerr said. "Looks like we'll have to go after them. Hey, Farrie, where do Krillaz like to hang out?"
Glancing from side to side, always aware of danger, our guide came over. "Usually underground, or other dark places where they feel secure. If nothing happens, I'll flush some out for you tomorrow. In the meantime, let's see if we can find any trace of Âgustin's party."
"Remember, keep together guys," Çrámerr called out.
In pairs we looked around the wrecked Botanic dome. In the half-light, with the never-ending gale howling through the broken panels under the grey skies, it was a dismal, unhappy place. And that was without all the bones underfoot. I switched on my helmet-torch and searched through the ruins. I paired up with Clemency – or more, she teamed up with me. I guess the others were beginning to irritate her.
I don't know what I was looking for – his body, I suppose – but somehow I didn't expect to find it. Like us, he went in well-armed and I couldn't see him going under to a bunch of rat-men armed only with tooth and claw. But what had happened to him and his party? Something bad, that was for sure.
Carefully, we turned out of the dome's main area and down a side annex. There were fewer bones here. It led past an office where I saw the remains of a woman's pelvis under a desk. Further on were rest rooms. We checked them out. Old, dry bloodstains daubed the tiled walls. Totally trashed with doors ripped off and sinks wrenched off the wall. Some people had chosen to make their last stands in the cubicles, their gnawed bones scattered around. What a place to die.
Clemency turned to me. She blushed and looked at the floor. "Look, I don't suppose...," she began.
"You need to go? Here?" I asked, amazed.
"There's not much privacy on the Steg," she explained.
She was right there. One tiny cubicle in a corner had to serve everyone. It wasn't the freshest-smelling place and anyone using it was only centimetres from everybody else. No place for the only woman on the vehicle.
"If you must. But don't you want me to stay with you?"
"No way! But stay in the corridor just outside. I'll be alright."
I wasn't too happy about leaving her alone. Kham had emphasised how important staying in pairs was and I agreed with him. All the same, I would only be outside the door.
"Shout if you need me," I told her.
Clemency closed the door behind her. Through my helmet's comm-link, I heard the others searching. Quiet they weren't. From their tones, it didn't seem as if they'd found anything useful. Then a rattle from above distracted me – more wind whistling through the ruins? Another rattle, closer now. Maybe a plastic bottle blown along?
Or a Krilla's talons?